, 1887-06-09
OUR CONSUL TO RUSSIA.
Cost of Living in st. PetersburE-Ths
Russian CIimate-scandal.

Cost of Living in st. PetersburE-Ths
Russian CIimate-scandal.
l spent an evening at the Riggs house a
day or 50 ago, chatting with Gen. Young,
OF Georgia, our late consul general to st.
Petersburg; with Col. Way, of Savannah,
who has just been appointed as his sue
cessor, and with Col. Coleman, of Illinois,
but now a resident of this city, who was
Howells' successor S consul to Venice,
where he resided for four years. In
Washington ~ex-consuls, ex-ministers, ex-
generals and ex-everythings, from sena-
tors to doorkeepers, are as thick as black
berries. 1t seemsa as if all the people here
had, at n time or another, beer upon a
foreign mission, if only to carry shad
eggs to England.
Including salary, fees and everything,
the Office Of consul general at st. Peters
burg is not worth more than So, 500 q
year. The cost of living is as dear there
as in other cities. What with rents and
housekeeping and servants the consul is
lucky if he squeezes through on all he
can get. The social position Of a consul
general is not a high m He is regarded
purely as a commercial agent, and has no
relations whatever with the diplomatic
corps of the court. He calls upon the
American minister upon his arrival and
upon the consuls of other nations. After
ward his relations are wholly with the
commercial class, people who lave moth
ing to do with and are never admitted tc
The governing class. There are less than
a dozen Americans in st. Petersburg, a
fact which requires the consul to learn to
speak Russian If he expects to get ON
with tolerable comfort. Gen. Young
tells me that he made it a point to master
500 OF the most common Russian words,
and with these he was able to hold all
ordinary conversation.
BE speaks OF Russia as a glorious coun-
Try, and says it has been more richly en-
dowed by nature than the United States.
II has ell climates, grows everything that
we do and more besides, and it is full OF
minerals. The Russians think nothing Of
hauling iron ore on sleds 800 miles over the
NOW, and manufacturing it into iron at a
profit, q feat which would be deemed inn
possible in this country. Cold weather
legins in Russia, in the latitude of st.
Petersburg, as curly as September, but
from May l onward the weather is
charming. Gen. Young says he was
never uncomfortable, a regards the
weather, while in st. Petersburg, al
though there is often a difference of so
dogs. in temperature between the inside
and outside Of the house. There are days,
however, when no one ventures out, the
weather being unbearable. Covered or
closed sledges and carriages are used and
these are often heated. But the weather
exerts aSstrange influence, producing I'M
pleasant effects. For three months after
his arrival the general was unable to sleep
800 kla.. 49, - E.-
He said to me:
II could not understand why l was SO
sleepless. L used to get up in the mid
die of the night, take a sledge and drive
furiously for a dozen miles, then l would
eat a big dinner and go to bed again and
manage to get some Sleep"
How did you find things socially?' l
asked.
The mercantile class. with which I
came in contact, is very hospitable. They
delight to entertain and will often ask
you to dinner, but there is a great deal Of
scandal in st. Petersburg, and the peo-
pie, or some of them at least, are very
fond of gossiping. 1 found that every
servant kept u close watch on me. If I
went out for a drive he was sure to ask
the driver upon my return where he had
tdheh me, unu where L nad come from,
and whom l had scent This was intoler-
able. 1 soon put a stop TO that. There
are 5000 cabs for hire in st. Peters
burg, and by going around the corner /
could find two or three, so l stopped talk
ing a cab at my own door, got a different
one every time, and used to be put down
upon my return a block or two away
from home. BY that means my servant
,,.,- t,,,-la - ..s,l - ---
Fuller Walker in Kansas City Journal.